Lil Nas X is having one heck of a week.

His Song “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” just notched its second week at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart after debuting on the top of the charts a week ago. Ever since the baroque music video for his song dropped, the master of memes has been a constant topic of conversation, receiving a lot of praise (and yeah, some condemnation) in stories all across the news. He reached a settlement with Nike over those shoes, and even released a video game where players can twerk their way through the world of the Montero video.

Oh, and the singer celebrated his 22nd birthday on Friday.

Montero Lamar Hill, better known as Lil Nas X, only became a cause célèbre in the past two years, going from obscurity to ubiquity after he released “Old Town Road,” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus in 2019. The smash hit instigated a debate about what constitutes a country music track when the song was up for various music awards. That song was the longest-leading number one in the chart’s entire history.

“Call Me By Your Name” reached 62,000 chart sales in its second week and logged 8.6 million streams, finishing comfortably ahead of its closest competition, “Peaches” by Justin Bieber featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon, which climbs one place to a new peak.

His latest hit has launched him into the stratosphere, and made even more of a stir than he did two years ago, thanks to the controversial music video that goes with the song.

The clip, which sees the singer and rapper (and fashion icon) in an alternative queer universe and ends with him descending into hell and grinding on Satan, while being praised as artistic queer representation, which has caused a predictable kind of backlash

Lil Nas X, who came out as gay in 2019 during Pride Month, does seem to be purposely trolling conservatives with his video, but his song is seriously setting a precedent here. An article in Slate declares his song “the most openly gay song ever to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart and…certainly the first such song to debut on top”.

No other chart-topper has ever been an anthem to gay love. Other number ones the LGBTQ community have adopted had messages that were either accidental, implied with a wink, or made all-purpose for the straight world. “Call Me By Your Name” (the very title is from a gay coming-of-age book and movie) was inspired by a failed relationship with a man, according to the singer.

In a few short years, he has become a role model for young queer people around the world, helping thousands of young and emerging LGBTQ people feel truly seen by simply being out, proud and accepted as he is.

On social media, he has the last laugh on his critics, engaging rather than shying away from them, and he normalizes conversations around gay sex. That may not seem revolutionary, but considering his fanbase of country music and rap fans it can be considered pioneering.